World Cup Final

Feel v old admitting to this but I was in the crowd for the 66 World Cup Final.

Also saw France v Uruguay in the Group Stage game at the old White City Stadium.

Any one else actually at Wembley for the England triumph?

My Dad and I went to the Royal Lancaster Hotel after the game to see the England team and waved to Terry Paine. All fairly relaxed compared to reaction these days.

Also saw Saints Semi Finals v Man Utd in 1963 plus Everton, Liverpool & Watford plus Wembley games v Man Utd, Liverpool N Forest (x2) & Carlisle + Arsenal @ Cardiff + a number of European Games.

I have been quite blessed football wise especially as I started out watching Saints in front of sparse crowds at the Dell in the old Div 3 S.

Really hope the youngsters out there have the enjoyment I have had from following the Saints (and England)

That's an impressive list.

I understand your sentiments about the young 'uns.

I started watching Saints in 89/90 so although I'm hardly a veteran I got to witness nowt but top flight footy, some good cup runs, some amazing great escapes, some brilliant players and, of course, MLT's career. Sure, there was some awful ****e too (Branfoot, Dixon and Speedie, Mark Hughes, Wigley..) but mostly it was great.

Since the relegation season, however, with the brief exception of the relative success of the play-off season, I look around at SMS at the young kids and have the utmost sympathy that they have come to Saints at such a ****ty time. Of course, if they stick with it then they may well be about to witness one of the greatest periods of our history... although there is much to be done.

I was 10 and watched it on TV. Don't remember getting carried away when we won but obviously very happy. Nothing like the hype that you get nowadays as I recall even though it was held in England.

Im not old enough to have been around then (by about 20 years :-D) but I'm curious to know if it was really the big deal us young'uns imagine it to be. I mean, we won the rugby world cup some years ago didnt we and give it a couple of days everyone had forgotten about it and moved onto something else....

Cant help but think if we won the world cup this year it wouldnt have quite the same feel good factor about it that I imagine there was in 66...

Maybe you could shed some light?

It is difficult to remember precisely but 1966 was a gentler age (altho football violence came to the Dell for the first time at the start of the 1966/7 season when Chelsea came down during our first season in Div1)

TV was all Black & White those days with just 2 (or possibly 3) channels. Players wages were modest (think the England players got £1,000 each for winning the World Cup) and supporters tended to make their own favours so replica shirts etc weren't in evidence.

There wasn't the desire to win at all costs and altho there was a general rejoicing about the England win I don't remember too much about street parties and the like.

Certainly the euphoria locally when Saints won the Cup in 76 seemed at a far higher level.

One other thing I used to enjoy at the time was the trip to Wembley every 2 yrs to watch Engla v Scotland.